Ginsberg's theorem is a set of adage

Adage

An adage is a short but memorable saying which holds some important fact of experience that is considered true by many people, or that has gained some credibility through its long use....

s which restate the laws of thermodynamics

Laws of thermodynamics

The four laws of thermodynamics summarize its most important facts. They define fundamental physical quantities, such as temperature, energy, and entropy, in order to describe thermodynamic systems. They also describe the transfer of energy as heat and work in thermodynamic processes...

 in terms of a person playing a game

Game

A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...

. The quote is attributed to the poet Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg

Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...

.

Theorem

The theorem is given as a restatement of the first, second, and third laws of thermodynamics:

1. You can’t win. (restatement of first law of thermodynamics
   First law of thermodynamics
   The first law of thermodynamics is an expression of the principle of conservation of work.The law states that energy can be transformed, i.e. changed from one form to another, but cannot be created nor destroyed...
   
   )
2. You can’t break even. (restatement of second law of thermodynamics
   Second law of thermodynamics
   The second law of thermodynamics is an expression of the tendency that over time, differences in temperature, pressure, and chemical potential equilibrate in an isolated physical system. From the state of thermodynamic equilibrium, the law deduced the principle of the increase of entropy and...
   
   )
3. You can’t even get out of the game. (restatement of third law of thermodynamics
   Third law of thermodynamics
   The third law of thermodynamics is a statistical law of nature regarding entropy:For other materials, the residual entropy is not necessarily zero, although it is always zero for a perfect crystal in which there is only one possible ground state.-History:...
   
   )

It is sometimes stated as a general adage without specific reference to the laws of thermodynamics.

Freeman's commentary

Freeman's commentary on Ginsberg's theorem states:

"Every major philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

 that attempts to make life seem meaningful is based on the negation of one part of Ginsberg’s theorem. To wit:

1. Capitalism
   Capitalism
   Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
   
    is based on the assumption that you can win.
2. Socialism
   Socialism
   Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
   
    is based on the assumption that you can break even.
3. Mysticism
   Mysticism
   Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
   
   is based on the assumption that you can quit the game. "

- H. Freeman, according to Arthur Bloch.